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Bioremediation of Explosives Contaminated Soils (Scientific Questions/Engineering Realities)

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Environmental Biotechnology for Waste Treatment

Part of the book series: Environmental Science Research ((ESRH,volume 41))

Abstract

The organic compounds trinitrotoluene (TNT), hexahydro4,3,5-trinitro-l,3,5-triazine (RDX) and l,3,5,7-tetranitro-l,3,5,7-tetrazocine (HMX) have all been demonstrated as subject to biological attack to some degree. In fact, RDX and HMX are routinely treated in wastewaters from production facilities by a conventional anaerobic biological process. The presence of the subject compounds in soil, however, has proven a more difficult removal problem for biological processes, especially in the case of TNT, for which biological treatment was not considered possible before 1975. This paper will discuss the origins of soil contamination by explosives and the current efforts to reduce the treatment costs of these soils using biological methods.

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© 1991 Plenum Press, New York

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Myler, C.A., Sisk, W. (1991). Bioremediation of Explosives Contaminated Soils (Scientific Questions/Engineering Realities). In: Sayler, G.S., Fox, R., Blackburn, J.W. (eds) Environmental Biotechnology for Waste Treatment. Environmental Science Research, vol 41. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5955-5_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5955-5_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-5957-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-5955-5

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